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Lynn arrived near the Whomping Willow.
Without wasting any time, he picked up a withered branch from the ground and, with a casual flick of his wand, the branch instantly transformed into a metal pole several meters long.
Spotting an opening, he thrust the pole out like a flash of lightning, accurately striking a knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow.
The frantically flailing branches instantly froze and then hung down submissively. At the base of the trunk, a hidden tunnel entrance was revealed.
The secret passage hadn't changed much since his last visit.
Lynn lit his wand and moved forward cautiously.
Before he had gone far, a familiar, complex stench drifted faintly from the darkness ahead, growing stronger and stronger.
Lynn's expression instantly became colorful.
"Merlin..."
A transparent bubble enveloped his head once again; at this moment, he especially regretted why he had brewed that potion to be so earth-shattering and ghost-wailing back then.
Continuing forward for a short distance with the Bubble-Head Charm, the secret passage began to extend upwards, and a faint light and gaps between floorboards appeared ahead.
Lynn stopped, not venturing out rashly.
First, he cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself; his body's outline and colors quickly blended into the dim surroundings. Next, he whispered a small spell to isolate his own scent from escaping.
A fall in the pit, a gain in wit; last time in the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets, Snape had sniffed him out.
Only after doing all this did Lynn feel a bit more at ease, and he stepped out of the secret passage exit light-footedly.
The view suddenly opened up... my foot! It was simply gloomy and dilapidated.
The interior style of the Shrieking Shack... how should one put it? It was a two-story wooden house in disrepair, as if it would fall apart at any moment, and it didn't seem to have normal doors or windows at all—only a few broken wooden boards barely covering the gaps.
The inside was extremely dark, with only a few rays of light filtering through the cracks in the boards, illuminating the dust in the air.
Lynn held his breath and began to move slowly through the first floor to investigate.
Broken furniture was scattered about—a table with a broken leg, several chair fragments, an empty bookshelf lying on the floor; everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, seemingly untouched for many years.
Moreover, there was no sign of Professor Lupin.
Lynn turned his gaze toward the stairs leading to the second floor.
The second floor was even emptier than the first, but equally dilapidated.
But this time, in the center of the second floor, on a shabby four-poster bed that barely held its shape, a figure was lying.
That was not a human figure.
That was a werewolf.
It had a humanoid form covered in short gray fur, but the head was a typical wolf's head with a protruding snout; its sharp teeth glinted slightly in the gloom, and its chest rose and fell slowly with its breathing. Its eyes were closed, seemingly in a deep sleep.
Lynn immediately pulled the map from his pocket; on the map, the marker representing Lupin was exactly at the position of the werewolf before him, without the slightest error.
Now, he was one hundred percent certain. Remus Lupin, Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, was indeed a werewolf.
The secret had been uncovered, and Lynn did not intend to stay long.
Knowing that Lupin was here on "sick leave" was enough; staying any longer was too risky. He backed away slowly, preparing to return the way he came.
Just as he had turned around and was about to evacuate—
The sleeping werewolf on the bed suddenly moved without any warning!
"Awoo—!" A wolf howl, carrying the instinctive panic of being startled awake from a dream, erupted from its throat! Simultaneously, a claw subconsciously swung through the air, as if to dispel a nightmare.
Along with this howl, a soft "click" sounded from a corner of the room.
Immediately following, several lamp-like objects hanging from the rafters, long covered in dust, suddenly lit up with a steady but not very bright light, instantly dispelling the darkness of the second floor!
Lynn's heart nearly stopped from the sudden light and commotion. Fortunately, the Disillusionment Charm and Silencing Charm were still in effect, and he quietly moved toward the secret passage exit downstairs.
Lupin on the bed was now fully awake.
He shook his head, his eyes instinctively scanning the entire second floor of the shack, his nose twitching slightly in the air.
His gaze swept over the floor, the broken furniture, the exposed wooden beams... and then stopped on the floor near the top of the stairs leading to the first floor.
There, it had originally been covered in dust. But now, under the light, the faint outlines of several footprints were clearly imprinted there!
Lupin's pupils contracted; someone had been here!
"Awoo—!!! (Barrier activate!)" Lupin let out a wolf howl.
As if responding to his command, the long-peeling wallpaper of the Shrieking Shack suddenly erupted with intense light!
Complex runes emerged from the walls, floor, and ceiling; they connected and intertwined, instantly forming a massive three-dimensional barrier that tightly enveloped the entire Shrieking Shack!
At the same time, a piercing red light also flared up at the exit of the secret passage, and a thick curtain of light instantly sealed off the retreat, completely isolating the inside from the outside!
Lynn's gaze quickly swept over the complex Ancient Runes and protective symbols on the walls, cursing in his heart: "Damn it, there's even Anti-Apparition!"
Now it wouldn't be easy to slip away.
Lynn considered whether to call Levi directly to perform a space jump; perhaps it could ignore the Anti-Apparition barrier here.
Just as Lynn fell into a brief moment of thought because of this sudden predicament, a burst of red fire exploded out of thin air right in front of him with a "boom"!
The fire quickly retracted, and a figure stepped out from within.
Dumbledore had clearly been urgently disturbed from an extremely private state, wearing only a dressing gown and plush slippers on his feet.
GG! Now he really was a turtle in a jar.
Dumbledore quickly scanned every corner of the Shrieking Shack.
His gaze clearly paused for a moment in the area where Lynn was, and for a split second, his eyes met Lynn's.
Then Dumbledore quickened his scanning speed, focusing on checking the ground; after confirming there was nothing resembling ashes, Dumbledore let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief.
At the same time, a slight creak came from the stairs. Lupin walked down the stairs. Seeing Dumbledore, he immediately pointed toward the secret passage exit that was now sealed by the red light of the barrier.
Dumbledore nodded to Lupin, indicating he already knew, and gave him a reassuring look.
"Don't worry, Remus, it might just be some overly curious student who accidentally stumbled in here."
As he spoke, Dumbledore's gaze turned once again toward the direction where Lynn was. "Wouldn't you say so?"
Lynn: "..."
He waved his wand and dispelled the Disillusionment Charm.
He gave a dry cough, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"Good evening, Principal, Professor... the moon tonight... is certainly very moon-like."